What was the name of McDonald’s 1980s advertising character designed to promote chicken nuggets?

Chicken McNugget Buddies was the name of McDonald’s 1980s advertising character group designed to promote Chicken McNuggets.

The animated or costumed nugget characters were presented as small, expressive figures with faces and personalities. Their role was to make the menu item appealing to children and to give McDonald’s advertising another set of characters beyond the better-known McDonaldland cast.

Chicken McNuggets had been introduced nationally in the United States in 1983, creating a major new product category for McDonald’s. Character-based advertising helped distinguish the bite-sized chicken pieces from ordinary fried chicken and made them easier to feature in children’s promotions and packaging.

The name is sometimes shortened informally to “McNugget Buddies,” but “Chicken McNugget Buddies” is the full character name used in references to the campaign.